Over Lance? Armstrong Called Out for Leadville Tactics

by steve casimiro on August 18, 2009 · 14 comments

14 responses

Click pic for video.

There are some who think Lance Armstrong can do no wrong, with Saturday’s record-breaking performance at the Leadville 100 as the most recent evidence. Me, I think the coolest news from Leadville is that normal, nice guy (job, family, etc.) Len Zanni took fifth (oh yeah–co-owner of Big Agnes, too). Sal Ruibal of USA Today is not one of the Lance fans, at least not in regards to Leadville. In a blog post dropped online right after the race, he calls bullshit on what he sees as unnecessary and unsporting tactics.

“Today [Armstrong] won the Leadville 100 mountain bike race, beating local legend Dave Wiens thanks in part to a phalanx of Trek cycling stars who gave Lance more pulls than a taffy maker,” Sal wrote. “I’ll tip my ski hat to Lance for winning, but he did it with typical Texan overkill…The idea of lead-out riders in a mountain bike race is a bit too Lycra-and-lace for my tastes.”

I’ve pasted some of Sal’s better lines together–you really should read the whole post for yourself. Here.

In the meantime, thoughts? Is Ruibal right? Is he high? Or did he not go far enough?

Tagged as: cycling

{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }

Brad Gantt August 18, 2009 at 15:20: While I second your kudos for Len (who was granted late entry due to a personal request from LA himself) and Dave, I think your paraphrasing of the article is a bit one-sided. Later in the blog the author says “We kid because we love to kid.” Not exactly a scathing attack.
Bill Byrne August 18, 2009 at 15:35: According to the Super Human Mag article Sal references (http://www.superhumanmag.com/content/view/1565/48/), Lance pulled ahead and stayed there. For 60 miles… does having teammates help? Sure but unless they were blocking other racers for 60 miles (which could have happened, but I didn’t see any mentions of that), let’s chalk it up to Lance just being a machine on a bike.

I typically enjoy Sal’s articles, but this one made me think that maybe he just isn’t stoked on Lance?
Jay Peery August 18, 2009 at 15:53: I couldn’t tell where the humor started and the sour grapes ended.

Sal, remember Tomac’s drop bars back in the day? No need to ‘build a special bike’, Brown just swapped a few parts.

I have to laugh at all the of the ski town hangers-on who bitch about the out of town skiers – without whom there would be no ski resorts or jobs. If you are that much of a Colorado bad ass, then don’t you think you should be skiing in the back country?

Don’t get me wrong, I am not a ‘fan’ of LA’s, but I think that he would have won the race with or without the other Trek riders there to ‘pace’ him. I wonder if next year when Levi and a few other roadies show up that we’ll start to hear that the race has been ‘ruined’ by unwelcome attention from these ’superior’ athletes on what is a non-technical course, but a cool race none the less.

I just wish Wiens would have gotten number 7 to match Armstrong’s 7 in le Tour. Ultimately the quotes I heard from Wiens were much more eloquent about his loss than Ruibal was in the post in question.
dave downing August 18, 2009 at 16:58: I’m pretty sure Sal lives in Denver, or at least sounds like it. Us real Coloradan’s don’t think to highly of Denverites and their “gnarly” singletrack and long lift lines

I thought it was pretty cool how much respect Lance gives to the L100 and it’s racers.
DrB August 18, 2009 at 17:13: I can’t believe Sal’s sour grapes about LA, I will admit I’m a big fan of the man. That being said, nobody seems to comment on the numbers of people he brings to an event. I wonder how many fewer people would have been in Leadville if Lance hadn’t been there. The numbers are staggering when he shows up at an event, all the small business got a massive boost to their revenues due to his celebrity, just ask the peole in Roseville California. Lance isn’t just a phenomenal athlete, he is a HUGE celebrity, somewhat akin to a rock star and he brings huge crowds

I followed the Tour of California and at every venue the crowds where beyond belief. The local businesses were ecstatic about the increased income.

I just wished people would think about the “Lance Effect” as it applies to the increased income to small business owners. During these tough times they need all the help they can get.

Dr B
David Sims August 18, 2009 at 17:49: I will not deny being a fan of Lance because he is a climbing machine, no doubt about it. And he is and has been great for the sport of cycling. But I will also say that I have mixed feelings on a “pro” rider of Armstrong’s caliber entering a local race, even a local race that has grown to this magnitude, and “regular” riders having to compete against him. I guess the best way to decide this would be to talk to his fellow competitors from recent mountain bike races and get their opinions on competing against such a pro. If you look at the finish times other than Lance the field was pretty evenly matched. I still love Dave Wiens comment when as he crossed the finish line one of the reporters questioned his finishing so far behind Lance, “Hey, he is Lance Armstrong!”
Anon August 18, 2009 at 19:09: Sal is cyclist and a talented journalist. His coverage of the Tour over the years has been spot-on.

That’s why this blog post from him seems out of character.

“Today he won the Leadville 100 mountain bike race, beating local legend Dave Wiens thanks in part to a phalanx of Trek cycling stars who gave Lance more pulls than a taffy maker.”

First of all, no disrespect to any of the top finishers at Leadville, but with the exception of Manny Prado and Travis Brown not a single rider in the top ten is a full time pro or a “Trek cycling star.”

Second, Sal implies those guys were Lance’s domestiques – pulling for him at the risk of blowing up and ruining their own chances. Matt Shriver got 3rd, Len Zanni got 5th, Travis got 7th, etc. All of those guys were racing their own race.

Lastly, watch the video, Lance is all by himself for the last 60 miles…hardly relying on a “phalynx of riders.”

I was pulling for Wiensy for sure, but to say Lance won in part due to his team of riders is just false.

I would love to see some of the top Mtn bike pros (JHK, Adam Craig, Geoff Kabush, Jeremiah Bishop) enter Leadville next year!
scasimiro August 18, 2009 at 20:58: I didn’t say it was a scathing attack. I said he “called out” Lance. And he did.

I was also very careful to point out that I cherrypicked Sal’s words for the phrases I thought were most entertaining. And I encouraged everyone to read it for themselves. So, I don’t think it’s as if I misled anyone about the story. Frankly, Sal’s piece meandered between criticism and a kind of hagiography–mixed messages for sure. Welcome to blogging.

But–the reason I posted it is because I believe it’s important to have different perspectives and to have debates. I didn’t witness the Leadville race, so I’m in no position to offer firsthand criticism but I appreciate that Sal did. It’s a great start to a conversation and we’ve had some terrific perspectives posted here already.
Andy Kennedy August 19, 2009 at 07:17: I am a fan of cycling. PERIOD. I don’t pretend to be any type of cycling expert or historian and I don’t remember who won what race from year to year or month to month for that matter. What I do, though, recognize is that whether you agree or disagree with Sal Ruibal’s article, Lance’s return to cycling, and Lance’s win at Leadville, all are good for the sport. The gal or guy on the street who normally wouldn’t have paid ANY attention to the sport are at least, again, seeing it in the sports pages. ESPN’s SportsCenter even mentioned Leadville, obviously as a result of Lance’s participation and win. The publicity is not only good for the sport but also for those in the bicycle industry. Further, maybe, just maybe, it’ll bring new sponsors in or old sponsors back so that races like the Tour of Georgia can continue. And, MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, some kid sitting on a couch somewhere will see some cycling coverage and get off of his soon to be obese butt and climb on a bike and go for a ride…and enjoy it.
(One can dream.) By the way, I am a Lance fan but was sure hoping to see Dave push him again.
Tim Mt Pleasant August 19, 2009 at 08:58: As a live viewer of the race I would not attribute Lance’s win to his fellow Trek racers who started a quick lead from the start. Dave Wiens seemed content in the group as they past the 28 mile mark. If anything, having these riders just allowed the lead group to break the record considering a 37 degree morning with freezing rain for the first half. The whole lead group was together until Lance attacked in the Columbine climb and left everyone in the dust. My only complaint was that Ken C. allowed these late entries after Outside magazine noted he was offered $4,000 twice for entries but refused. Seems the rules can always be bent when you have a status symbol asking for a favor.
Ben August 19, 2009 at 09:02: I think Sal’s article was great – and to me it was dripping of sarcasm right from the start. There may have been too many “inside joke” references for everyone to get it though.
Matt Sawyer August 19, 2009 at 09:11: Local legend Dave Wiens now knows just how good he is – when compared to one of the best.

How many (athletes) riders have trained, ridden their hardest and dreamed to see just how their abilities would stack up against the best. Dave has now competed against a true legend and finished a very respectable race. Dave Wiens now knows where his ability stands.
Maybe it is just that we wish the locals would have schooled the big guns. Most hate to see their local legends dethroned.
Jason Grundhauser August 21, 2009 at 05:32: I like LA as much as the next guy, but I was hoping that Weins would win. He seems like a great guy and to have one of the most famous cyclists ever come in and make him the underdog and still take it would have been awesome.

That being said, I have always been under the impression that the Leadville race was more a roadie race anyway. Its more of a “cool” ride for people who might be more lycra wearers than gnar dirt riders. I doubt most of the top mtb pros would even enter.
Rob October 11, 2009 at 23:19: Did the Trek guys drive the early pace? Sure. Did they break the wind for all the competitors, not just Lance? Yes. Did Lance ride solo for 60 odd miles. Yes. Was anyone breaking the wind then? No.